1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document producing apparatus and method for producing mixed mode documents, to be transmitted by means of telematic terminals.
2. Discussion of the Background
CCITT (International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee) refers to such communication media as facsimile, teletex, videotex, etc. as being telematic services. Also, CCITT has issued recommendations regarding each of these services. A mixed mode is one communication mode of the telematic services, which mixed mode is used in a class 3 G4 facsimile.
In this mixed mode, blocks of document information (these will be referred to as `blocks` hereinafter) comprising blocks of character information such as letters and blocks of image information such as figures can be mixed in one document. The blocks of character information are transmitted by means of code information. On the other hand, the blocks of image information are transmitted by means of raster information of bit maps. This document structure of the mixed mode is prescribed in the CCITT recommendation T. 501. This recommendation T. 501 was issued at the IXth general meeting of CCITT held in November, 1988.
Such a mixed mode document as mentioned above is produced by a document producing apparatus which is exclusively used for the mixed mode documents. When producing a mixed mode document, first, an operator forms a block area of a requested size on an indicating screen of the apparatus. Next, the operater inputs requested letters, figures, and so on into the screen. The operator produces one document by repeating the above mentioned operations for each block which composes the document.
Normally, some blocks of figures, letters and so on as logograms of company trade marks and so on, which blocks are the same as each other, are used in one document in some cases. In these cases, the generic layout structure which is a document structure of the mixed mode document is prescribed in the recommendation.
In the generic layout structure, the above mentioned blocks of letters, figures and so on in one document, which blocks are the same as each other, are classified into the generic (meaning being having common elements) information, which serves as a first information. This classification is referred to as the generic designation in the following description herein. By means of the generic designation, data transmission of the blocks designated as the generic information can be executed by transmission of one block of the blocks. Then by producing the mixed mode document by means of using the generic layout structure, data quantity of the document can be reduced, and thus effective data transmission of the document can be realized.
In a case where a document using the generic layout structure is produced by the document producing apparatus, the operator judges whether some blocks of a plurality of blocks of letters, figures and so on are the same as each other. Then the operator has to carry out the generic designation of these blocks judged to be the same.
The problems regarding the above mentioned conventional document producing apparatus will be described below. The judgement whether some blocks, which blocks compose the document, are the same as each other, is carried out while the screen of the apparatus is being observed, and then the generic designation of the blocks judged to be the same is carried out. The above mentioned process for the generic designation is troublesome. Also, an operator who doesn't have knowledge about the generic layout structure can not produce a document using the generic layout structure.